Kinect PlayFit Is a Fitness Leaderboard

One of the key selling points of the Kinect is that it requires you to get up off the couch and actually move. Now Microsoft wants to tell you exactly how much exercise waving your arms around and jumping up and down has burned.

Today Microsoft has launched the Kinect PlayFit app. It's essentially a leaderboard for people who like to play Kinect games. It tracks how many calories you've burned and compares it to the performance of others. Because it's just not a weight-loss program without the crushing sense of shame that comes with realizing other people are better than you and always will be! The app will work with popular Kinect games such as Just Dance and Star Wars Kinect.

Of course, this is predicated on the idea that formerly inactive people will get up off their duffs and start blasting fat interactively once they realize somebody across the country is beating their high score. Science indicates that this is not necessarily the case. But if leaderboards can motivate people to use their consoles and maybe at least get some exercise, at least it's doing a little good.